April 26th 2024.
Tomoaki Hamatsu's year-long stint in a locked room for a Japanese reality show caused quite a stir when it aired in 1998. Back then, reality shows were still relatively new and audiences were intrigued by the idea of pushing boundaries. So when Hamatsu signed up to live naked in an apartment and enter mail-in sweepstakes until he won ¥1 million, people couldn't help but tune in.
The show, titled Susunu!Denpa Shonen (Do not proceed, Crazy Youth), seemed like a simple concept at first. Hamatsu just had to live in the apartment and cut himself off from the outside world while trying his luck with sweepstakes. He could leave at any time, but he was determined to see it through. However, what he didn't know was that his every move was being broadcasted live to millions of people, making him an instant celebrity.
Starting with nothing but his bare body, Hamatsu spent months filling out entry forms and relying solely on winnings from magazine competitions for his survival. He even had to resort to eating canned and kibble dog food at one point. But as time went on, he started to win more prizes, including a stuffed toy that he turned to for advice, giving it the nickname "sensei."
Despite his efforts, Hamatsu never managed to win any clothing he could wear, and he even ended up with prizes he couldn't use like movie tickets and a bicycle. He also faced challenges with his physical appearance, as he had no access to hygiene products and his hair and nails grew long and unruly.
After 335 days, Hamatsu achieved his goal and broke the Guinness World Record for the "longest time survived on competition winnings." But his experience didn't end there. The producers tricked him into going to South Korea, where he was stuck in another apartment until he won enough prizes to cover his airfare back to Japan.
When he finally returned, he was taken to yet another apartment, only to have the walls collapse and reveal a studio audience clapping for him. This was the first time Hamatsu realized that the show had been airing all along. His diaries of the experience became a best-seller, and the show broke records with 17 million viewers tuning in every Sunday.
Despite achieving fame, Hamatsu struggled to readjust to society and even had difficulty wearing clothes and having conversations. He later revealed that he felt "cornered" and experienced a lot of suffering during the show. While he didn't become a star, his unbelievable story was the subject of the documentary The Contestant, which was released in 2020. Hamatsu's experience sheds light on the darker side of reality television and how it can affect people's mental and emotional well-being.
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